GUYS AND DOLLS Comes to The Carpenter Performing Arts Center

Gangsters and gamblers, missionary dolls, and showgirls turn the gamble of love into a high-energy musical when Musical Theatre West presents five-time Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls, February 16 - March 4 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. Based on the stories and characters by Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, the show tops Entertainment Weekly's list of "The Greatest Musical of all Time." Tickets are now on sale at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856- 1999 ext. 4 or at the Musical Theatre West ticket office. Tickets start at $20.

Rolling the dice is the vice of choice for Nathan Detroit (Matthew Henerson). He has big spenders ready to join his latest illegal crap game, but he needs some serious dough to keep the game afloat. He taps Sky Masterson (Jeremiah James), a man who's known for his willingness to gamble on anything and everything. Their $1000 bet: Sky has to get prim and pious do-gooder Sarah Brown (Madison Claire Parks) to go with him on a jaunt to Havana. Nathan certainly likes the odds; after all, he's kept his own fiancée, Miss Adelaide (Bree Murphy), waiting for their trip to the altar for 14 years! As Sarah searches for sinners to reform, Nathan keeps looking to make his big score and Sky comes to find that love just may be the biggest gamble of all. Set against the picturesque backdrop of New York's Broadway, Guys and Dolls features one of the greatest musical scores, with hits that include: "I've Never Been in Love Before," "Adelaide's Lament," "Bushel and a Peck," If I Were a Bell," and "Luck, Be a Lady." This musical masterpiece is not to be missed!

Jeremiah James (Sky Masterson) credits range from the West End, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, to the Great White Way, as El Gallo in the Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks. He has appeared in more than 120 Actor's Equity productions, including starring roles in Show Boat, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and Les Misérables, earning six "Best Actor" nominations from such prestigious organizations as BroadwayWorld.com, LA Drama Critics Association (Ovation Awards), and Spotlight Awards. His recording credits include Teatro (Sony/BMG), which sold one million copies and scored two No. 1 hits and a Gold Record, and Jeremiah James Tupelo (Yellow Sound). His new musical It Happened in Key West with Broadway composer/writing partner's Jill Santoriello and Jason Huza will premier in London later this year.

Madison Claire Parks (Sarah Brown) recently starred in the Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, where she received rave reviews for her performance as Luisa. For Musical Theatre West, she starred in Oklahoma! (Laurey) and Les Misérables (Cossette), as well as numerous Reiner Readers Series performances, including Once Upon a Mattress, Kismet, and Steel Pier. Parks' performance as Daisy Mae in Bruce Kimmel's acclaimed Los Angeles revival of Li'l Abner earned her a Robby Award nomination for "Best Actress." An accomplished opera singer, Parks performed with the Full Circle Opera Project, where she played roles such as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera and Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene.

Matthew Henerson (Nathan Detroit) returns to Musical Theatre West after his acclaimed performance as Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady. His credits include performances in the first national tour of Footloose, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom with the Mark Taper Forum, Hamlet and Shakespeare in Love with South Coast Repertory, The Adventures of Pinocchio with Deaf West, and When Garbo Smiles, A Christmas Carol, and The Heir Apparent with International Theatre Company. Henerson's television and film credits includes roles on "The Fosters," "The Bernie Mac Show," Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol, and Disney's The Jungle Book.

Bree Murphy (Miss Adelaide) marks her Musical Theatre West debut, but is not a newcomer to the theatre scene. With 3D Theatricals, she appeared as Molly in The Full Monty, the Wardrobe in Disney's Beauty and the Beast; and with the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, she performed in such productions as Hairspray (as Tracy Turnblad), The Hot Mikado, Ragtime, and Lend Me a Tenor. Murphy also performed for several seasons with the Utah Shakespeare Festival in the musicals Into the Woods and Mary Poppins, as well as the plays Henry IV (Parts I and II), and Sherlock Holmes.

The original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls won five Tony Awards, including "Best Musical." The 1992 revival received four more Tonys, including "Best Revival." In 1951, the year after it opened, it received a record-breaking $1 million for the motion picture rights and was made into a beloved film starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

Musical Theatre West's production of Guys and Dolls is under the direction of Mark Martino, musical direction of Benet Braun, and choreography by Daniel Smith. This production is made possible thanks to the support of Season Sponsors The Port of Long Beach, The Ackerman Family/Evalyn M Bauer Foundation, Ken & Dottie Reiner, The Schulzman-Neri Foundation, Don & Marlene Temple, and Kathy Baker Cambell and KC Wilson; Honorary Producers Don and Marlene Temple; Associate Producer Cindy Costello; and Youth Performance Underwriters youth performance underwriters: Don Black and Judy McNulty Black, Dr. Myron Bloom, Ron and Patti Brunner, and Dr. Ron and Sylvia Hartman.. Paul Garman serves as Executive Producer/Director of Musical Theatre West. Guys & Dolls is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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